A Cody & LaShawna Moment
by StarReader86
Summary: Cody figures out that he's not Gwen's secret crush after the talent show challenge. Feeling dejected, he unexpectedly receives advice and words of comfort from one of his teammates.


**Author's Notes: This is my first one-shot I've ever written and I decided to do it for my latest obsession on Cartoon Network: Total Drama Island. Ever since the first episode, Cody became one of my favorite guys. He's so cute and goofy when he tries to act cool. And I love LaShawna, her sassy, tell-it-like-it-is attitude is awesome. **

**Just so you all know, this story takes place after the episode, the one which the teams did a talent show as a challenge (I don't know the episode title ;). The story is just MY INTERPRETATION of what could have happened after the elimination round. For those who haven't seen the episode, there are MAJOR SPOILERS in this piece. You have been warned. Anyways, I hope you guys like it, please send me a review after you read this! **

**Disclaimer: I neither own nor have rights to Total Drama Island. This piece of work is done purely for the growing fandom of the show. **

The stars twinkled in the deep blue sky, illuminating the rustic wood cabins of Camp Wawannaka. With the exception of Heather, who was struggling to sleep with her body covered in bug bites, most of the eighteen campers were sleeping peacefully in their bunk beds.

One particular camper, LaShawna, was snoring soundly underneath her covers. However, her peaceful sleep is interrupted by an urgent call from Mother Nature. LaShawna bolts upright from her bottom bunk and for the second time since her stay, she bonks her head against the bottom of the top bunk bed.

"Dang it! Not again!" groans LaShawna, rubbing the sore spot on top of her head. Suddenly she remembered why she woke up in the first place.

"Oh snap! I gotta pee!"

The plus-size black girl rushed out of the cabin doors and made a quick dash to the communal bathrooms. She looks behind her and to her annoyance, a cameraman is running right behind her with his camera taping all of her movements.

Picking up a stone from the ground, LaShawna faces the cameraman, her ticked off face in plain view through the camera lens.

"Look, man, I ain't makin' some stupid confession at 2 freakin' a.m in the morning. Gimme some privacy before I crack open your camera!" she snarled. LaShawna tosses the stone up and down in her palm to emphasize her point.

Thankfully, the cameraman was smart enough to back off and leave quickly so as to let the angry girl do her business without televising it. A few minutes later, LaShawna pushes the bathroom door open with a look of relief on her face. Now that that was taken care of, she could finally go back to sleep.

LaShawna didn't take more than a few steps when she spotted somebody sitting on the infamous 'Dock of shame.' Curiosity overcoming common sense, LaShawna quietly walked over to the dock to identify this mysterious person. As she got closer, she instantly recognized the person. It was one of her fellow Screaming Gophers teammates.

"Cody?" she asked aloud. She continued moving towards the dock while wondering why Cody was sitting out on the dock by himself. The wooden planks creaked with every step she took across the dock, but Cody didn't budge or even flinch at the noise. LaShawna inched closer towards Cody until she stood close beside him. She looked at his face and noticed a pair of sad, downcast blue-green eyes and a melancholy frown set over his crooked front teeth.

LaShawna was puzzled as to why her normally confident and laidback teammate looked so depressed. _'Boy must be out of it. Probably doesn't even know I'm standin' right next to him,' _she thought. She placed her hand on top of Cody's right shoulder and said, "You alright, Cody?"

Cody snapped out of his funk and screamed in a high-pitch tone. In his shock, Cody jumps up and away from the dock only to realize that he is about to jump into the lake. Before gravity could pull him downward into the murky waters, LaShawna grabs Cody by his shoulders and lifts him back on the dock.

As Cody anxiously placed his hand over his chest to steady his rapidly beating heart, LaShawna laughed. "I'm sorry, Cody. I didn't think I scared you that bad. Betta chill fore' you get a heart attack."

After taking a few deep breaths, Cody manages to get himself together and appears somewhat calm. He looks over at LaShawna and instantly puffs out his chest in an exaggerated macho fashion. "Aw, you merely just startled me. Nothing scares the Cod-ster," he states, hoping that he sounded tough.

LaShawna smirked, she didn't buy his tough guy act for one second. "Whatever you say, "the Cod-ster,"" she remarks. She pokes her finger in the middle of Cody's chest causing it to deflate in a manner similar to how a balloon deflates. "But seriously, what are ya doin' out here? Its way too early to go swimmin.'"

Cody sighed, then said, "I couldn't go to sleep. I kept thinking about what happened at the talent show. You know what I'm talkin' about."

LaShawna growled. She knew exactly what Cody was talking about. She couldn't believe that two-faced, conniving witch Heather had the nerve to read Gwen's diary out loud on national television during the talent show challenge. Even the jerky host Chris MacLean admitted that her stunt was totally 'wack.'

With a satisfied smirk, Lashawna says, "Don't worry about it. My girl Gwen took care of Miss Thang. Seems that she got an unexpected surprise in her bed. Hundreds of red ants, courtesy of Harold."

"So that explains all the screaming I heard. It sounded like a deranged chicken with its tail on fire!"

Both of them laughed. It served Heather right for humiliating Gwen like that. She deserved a dose of her own medicine.

Though that cheered him up, Cody quickly shifted back into his depressed mood, much to LaShawna's confusion. "That's not what's gotten me down. You remember what Heather said when she read from Gwen's diary?"

LaShawna shook her head. Cody continued, "Well she said…"

**(Flashback)**

_On the stage, Heather, dressed in a pink ballerina tutu, sits on a stool with Gwen's opened diary in her hands. She looks at the audience, particularly at Gwen, with a devious smile on her face. _

"_Originally, I was going to dance for you. But instead, I want to celebrate team spirit. With a collaboration. So with words by Gwen, performance by me. Enjoy." Heather clears her throat, then proceeds to read an entry from Gwen's diary._

"_Okay, so I'm trying to ignore him, but he's just so cute. If they had custom ordered a guy to be a distraction for me here, it would've been McHottie."_

_Cody perks up at hearing what he believes to be Gwen's descriptions of him. After all, Gwen had been ignoring him since the show started, so it seemed obvious that Gwen was crushing on him as much as he was for her. He smirks and jerks his thumb towards himself, all the while thinking that he was Gwen's "McHottie." _

"_We just totally connect. He's pretty much the only person I can relate to here. And I know it's a cliché. But I love guys who play guitar."_

_A blank expression is found on Cody's face. Looking stumped, Cody pondered aloud, "Wait, I don't play a guitar." He looks down at the guitar Trent, who's sitting right beside him, is holding. It was the same guitar he used to play his love song as part of his act for the talent show. Cody shifts his gaze from the guitar to Trent who also looks back at him. _

After Cody finishes his recollection, LaShawna asks, "So, you're sayin' Trent is the guy Gwen wrote about in her diary?"

Slightly frustrated, mostly with himself, Cody waved his hands and exclaims, "Well who else at this camp can play guitar?!" Settling back down soon after, Cody dejectedly says, "I should have known Gwen wouldn't like me back. I mean, an awesome girl like her would never be interested in a total loser like me."

"Believe me, I've met my fair share of losers. But Cody, you ain't one of 'em. You're a pretty cool guy," reassures LaShawna facing Cody, hoping that cheered him up. But it didn't work.

"You're wrong, LaShawna. I'm not cool, not like my brother Shawn, the original Mr. Cool."

"Your brother? What does he have to do with this?"

As Cody begins to explain, images of his older brother Shawn in cool, trendy clothes and a pair of black shades striking an all-too-cool pose with a smirk, pop up.

"Ever since I could remember, Shawn was always popular. All the guys wanted to hang with him and all the girls wanted to be his number one girl. Growing up, I always wanted to be like him because he got all the attention, all the cool friends, and all the hottest girls as his dates. So when I was a freshmen, I copied all of his moves, memorized his smooth lines, and wore the coolest clothes because I thought I could be cool just like Shawn."

Cody paused, his face growing sadder. "But no matter how hard I tried being like him, it always back-fired. Girls would ignore me or tell me to get lost. Guys would play pranks on me or embarrass me in front of everyone."

He continued, "So when I heard about this reality show, I thought that if I could win and get a girlfriend, I'd show everyone back home that I was cool and not a total loser." Cody wearily glances at LaShawna, "I'm pretty pathetic, aren't I?"

To say LaShawna was surprised and saddened by Cody's revelation was an understatement, she didn't realize that he had these insecurity issues. But then, she remembered the first day of the show when all the contestants were arriving at the camp. When Cody arrived, he strutted over to where she, Lindsey, and Bridget were standing and was about to say some kind of line, but she told him to 'save it,' in a good-natured way. LaShawna knew that Cody was trying to act all smooth like he was a cool playa, so she stopped him before he could give some cheesy line.

"No, you're not," LaShawna stated firmly. "It's like I said before. You're pretty cool when you're just being you.

She wrapped her arm around Cody's right shoulder and drew him in a side hug. "You don't have to be like Shawn, Trent, or anyone else, just be yourself. You'll get more respect when you ain't passin' yourself off as someone you're not. And take it from me, as a girl, we like guys who are real and true to themselves."

Cody took in LaShawna's words as he listened to her and realized that she was right. No wonder people looked down on him, he was trying too hard to be like Shawn or some other cool guy and they could tell right away that it was all fake. Maybe if he started acting more like himself, people would like him more. Cody smiled, thinking that would be a nice change in his life, but then his thoughts drifted towards a certain Goth.

"But what about Gwen? You'd think she'll like me more if she sees the real me?"

LaShawna bit her lip nervously. She could tell that Gwen had never showed any sign of attraction or even liking Cody since they became teammates. She recalled one incident where she witnessed Gwen throwing Cody out of the girls' cabin. Then there were the times where Gwen would scowl, snap at, or ignore Cody whenever he spoke to her. Yet, the one guy Gwen showed any friendliness towards and looked the most comfortable with was Trent. LaShawna didn't know the standoffish Goth girl all that well, but she could tell that there was definite chemistry between her and Trent.

LaShawna didn't want to make Cody depressed all over again, but she knew that if she lied, she would be giving him false hope, which would be dashed to pieces when he sees Gwen and Trent together. So she decided it was better to go ahead and tell him the truth.

"Cody, I don't wanna hurt ya feelins' but to be honest, I don't think that's gonna happen," she explained slowly, hoping to ease the blow.

Cody looked shocked for a second, but then quickly became saddened again. He knew LaShawna was the kind of girl who always spoke her mind, so he understood that she wasn't lying to him. Still that didn't make him feel any better. The girl that he had come to admire and was willing to do and say anything to make her happy and notice him was never going to return his affections.

LaShawna saw the change in Cody's mood and decides to act quickly to keep him from being depressed again. "You know what? So what if Gwen doesn't like you? She ain't the only girl at this camp. I'm sure there's someone else who will want to be wit you. Just give it some time and be yourself. You'll find that special girl, I just know it."

After listening to her, Cody's mouth widened into a genuine smile. He felt some comfort in LaShawna's confidence that he might find another girl who will not reject or mistreat him. He was glad LaShawna was there to talk to him. Normally, Cody refrained from telling someone else, especially a girl, his problems in order to maintain his cool identity. But for the first time in his life, he didn't worry or even care about that. After having LaShawna talking with him and listening to him, he felt a sense of care-freeness that he hadn't felt in a long time.

He turned towards LaShawna with a grin on his face. "Thanks LaShawna, I really needed this. I totally owe you one."

LaShawna grinned back and said, "Aw no biggie. But since you offered, I can think of someway to pay me back. I'm warning you now that I'm going to hold you to that I.O.U."

Both Cody and LaShawna laughed afterwards. Just as they finished laughing, they both yawned at the same time. It was really late and they had been talking for a good hour.

"We'd better get back to sleep. If I know Chris, we gonna need all the sleep we can get for whatever torture he got for us to do."

Cody chuckled, nodding his head. "You're probably right. Hey, let me walk you back to your cabin. I promise I won't go in it like last time."

At first, LaShawna thought to decline his offer, since the girls' cabin was only a few feet away. But she thought it sweet that Cody had made such an offer.

"You'd better not, or else I'll tell Gwen on you," she said, playfully threatening him.

"Oh I wouldn't want that again," Cody shuddered.

The two stood up from the dock and quietly walked to LaShawna's cabin. When they reached the cabin door, LaShawna turned around and whispered, "Night, Cody. See ya in a few hours."

"Good night, LaShawna."

LaShawna smiled sleepily at him, then closed the door. Cody stood outside for a few minutes, thinking about everything that had just happened. He then decides to walk on back to the boys' cabin.

As both campers crawled into their bunks, hoping to squeeze in as much sleep as possible, LaShawna and Cody thought about the moment they had shared out on the docks.

Prior to tonight, Cody had never had a real, in-depth conversation with any of the other girls on his team. Cody remembered how much at ease he felt as he talked with LaShawna and that her words made him feel better and more secure about himself. He knew that it would take some time for him to get over his crush on Gwen. _'But_, Cody thought before drifting off to sleep, _there is LaShawna. At least I'm friends with her. Who knows? Maybe we could be more than friends. But this time, I'm willing to wait and see what happens.'_

Laying on her back, LaShawna stares at the bunk above her with the thoughts of her moment with Cody moving about in her mind. With the exception of Heather and maybe Harold, she generally liked the rest of the contestants, but she never thought about how she felt about Cody. But after tonight, she learned a little bit more about her teammate, enough to see that Cody, underneath the whole laidback, cool, nonchalant front, was really a guy who wanted to be accepted and liked by people. _'You know, I actually like white boy better when he drops the whole 'I'm so cool and fly' act. He's goofy, but he's sweet,'_ thought LaShawna as her eyelids slowly began to close. _'I came here to win, but that don't mean I can't be friends with him. Who knows? Maybe he's someone I could chill wit when its just us and have my back when Heather or whomever gets on my nerves._'As she begins to nod off towards slumberland, LaShawna smiles to herself and thinks, _'Yeah, I'd like that.'_

**

* * *

**

StarReader86: Please tell me what you thought about this. This could be seen as a Cody x LaShawna friendship or a start to a romance ship, I personally like the ship either ways.

**In your reviews, if you have seen the whole series and already know the winner, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T MENTION THE WINNER OR WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE TALENT SHOW EPISODE!! I don't have a TV with me at the moment, so I will have to catch up on all the eps! Plus, I like to be surprised. So if you can keep this in mind when you do your reviews, I would really appreciate it!!**

**Also, please check out my other story. It's a Cartoon X-over story titled "Eddy's New Groove." For those who have been keeping up with it, don't despair, I will write the last chapters for it. This was just something I wanted to do in the meantime. **


End file.
